Controle de Processos EQ817 Sem2-2018 FEQ/UNICAMP

Profa. Luz Adriana Alvarez Toro

BENCHMARK PROCESS

The process produces two products from four reactants. Also present are an inert and
a byproduct making a total of eight components: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.

The reactions are:

A(g) + C(g) + D(g) →G(liq), Product 1

A(g) + C(g) + E(g) →H(liq), Product 2

A(g) + E(g) →F(liq), Byproduct

3D(g)→2F(liq), Byproduct

All the reactions are irreversible and exothermic. The reaction rates are a function of
temperature through an Arrhenius expression. The reaction to produce G has a higher
activation energy resulting in more sensitivity to temperature. The reactions are
approximately first-order with respect to the reactant concentrations.

The process has five major unit operations: the reactor, the product condenser, a
vapor-liquid separator, a recycle compressor and a product stripper.

The gaseous reactants are fed to the reactor where they react to form liquid products.
The gas phase reactions are catalyzed by a nonvolatile catalyst dissolved in the liquid
phase. The reactor has an internal cooling bundle for removing the heat of reaction.
The products leave the reactor as vapors along with the unreacted feeds. The catalyst
remains in the reactor.

The reactor product stream passes through a cooler for condensing the products and
from there to a vapor-liquid separator. Noncondensed components recycle back
through a centrifugal compressor to the reactor feed. Condensed components move to
a product stripping column to remove remaining reactants by stripping with feed
stream number 4.

Products G and H exit the stripper base and are separated in a downstream refining
section which is not included in this problem.

The inert and byproduct are primarily purged from the system as a vapor from the
vapor-liquid separator.
Controle de Processos EQ817 Sem2-2018 FEQ/UNICAMP
Profa. Luz Adriana Alvarez Toro

PROBLEM

Consider the following situations in the benchmark process:

1. Sudden change in A/C feed ratio, B composition constant (stream 4)

2. Sudden change in B composition. A/C ratio constant (stream 4)
3. Sudden change in D feed temperature (stream 2)
4. Sudden change in the Reactor cooling water inlet temperature
5. Sudden change in the Condenser cooling water inlet temperature
6. Random variations in A, B, C feed composition (stream 4)
7. Random variations in D feed temperature (stream 2)
8. Random variations in C feed temperature (stream 4)
9. Random variations in Reactor cooling water inlet temperature
10. Random variations in Condenser cooling water inlet temperature
11. Slow drift in reaction kinetics

Analyze the consequences and propose actions to maintain the process operation
conditions (using the available valves).

→ Note that the process has 40 measurements and 11 valves.